1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to posable toy figures of the type having a wire frame around which elastomeric material is molded. More particularly, the present invention is related to posable toy figures having uniquely formed head and hand features, that enables the toy figures to support secondary objects.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Toy figures, in the form of dolls, have been in existence many hundreds of years. In that time, dolls have been manufactured in most every conceivable style and shape. There now exists a wide range of different types of dolls and toy figures. One branch of toy figures within that wide range are the wire framed posable figures. Wire framed posable figures contain an internal wire frame that can be manually bent. Elastomeric material is then molded around the wire frame in the shape of a figure. The wire frame provides the elastomeric material with rigidity and enables the toy figure to be posed in different orientations.
Over the years, wire framed posable figures have been molded into a countless number of characters. Often, the characters have a visually identifiable head, such as Mickey Mouse, Gumby, Superman or the like. The feet of the figure are typically flat, thereby enabling the figure to be self-standing. The hands of the figure often are flat and are not capable of articulation. In some instances, the hands of the figure are formed into a C-shape, so that the figure can hold a prop, such as a sword or the like.
The present invention alters the traditional design of wire framed posable figures. With the present invention, the posable figure has no identifiable head. Rather, the head of the posable figure is a detachable marble. The wire framed posable figure is designed to retain a marble as the head of the figure and, in some instances, marbles as the hands of the figure. The marbles are retained in such a manner so that the marbles can be shot directly from the figures when playing the game of marbles. The unique features of the present invention are described and claimed below.
The present invention is a toy figure assembly. The toy figure has a body section, limb sections and a head section. The head section is comprised of a pair of diverging loop structures sized and oriented to retain a marble or other spherical device. The loop structures support the marble in position as a visible part of a head to the figure. The loop structure also enables the marble to be grasped by a person""s hand and shot out of the figure when playing the game of marbles.
The loop structures used on the head of the figure can also be used as terminations to the limbs of the figure. Consequently, a toy figure is produced that retains at least one marble in a highly visible manner and in a position where the marbles can be readily removed or shot from the figure.